Quilt

United We Stand

Description

Quilt titled United We Stand created by Teresa Barkley and made with cotton, batting, and thread. This quilt has a navy blue border with a red and white striped vertical orientation. Resembling a flag, the red and white stripes also resemble the tridents of  the Twin Towers. In the upper left corner is a woven picture of the Twin Towers. At the bottom of the quilt is text: "9/11/01| U.S. | United We Stand | 34c." The design is meant to resemble a flag postage stamp with the scalloped border representing stamp perforations. The lettering and numerals are acrylic paint.

Historical Notes

Inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt, New York City–based arts educator Drunell Levinson conceived a September 11 Quilts Memorial that would bring together the work of artists from around the world. Drawing upon her academic research into mourning customs and her expertise as a quilter and fabric artist, Levinson issued a call for quilts on a website she created for the project. She offered thematic guidelines and requested a uniform size but left the choice of material, style, and subject to each quilter. Within the first year after 9/11, she had received 94 quilts. Over the next two years, the quilts—many using the Twin Towers as a focal point—were displayed throughout the United States and in Japan.